Taking On A Big Writing Project!
I have been searching aimlessly for years in pursuit of a project that gets me excited. Since returning to school the feeling of taking on a large project hasn’t seemed so daunting. Fast forward almost a year and a half later and I have taken on more than I could have imagined possible. Yet, I still felt like I needed some BIG project to really get my blood pumping.
“If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.”
Toni Morrison
National Novel Writing Month
Some in the writing community may be familiar with the NaNo movement to get more people writing. This is the first year that I have stumbled across the movement and I intend to see it through to the end. For those who are not familiar, NaNo is an abbreviation for National Novel Writing Month. The challenge is to write a novel from scratch in the 30 days of November. There is prep tools and inspirational quotes on their website to help get the planning done ahead of November 1st.
Moreover, the challenge is to complete 50,000 words of a first draft to inspire the writing process. The wonderful thing about this project is that there is an entire community that follows the website, where everyone is cheering you on to complete your novel!
“200 crappy words a day, that’s it.”
Mark Manson
50,000 Words
Now I know what you’re thinking, 50,000 words is a lot. It really is! However, it is manageable. The breakdown of words works out to 1667 words per day for the full 30 days. 1667 words is much more than the 200 words Mark Manson was referring to, however the idea that the large chunk of writing a novel can be broken down into daily, manageable numbers.
Personally, I love the idea of tallying up my 1667 words for the day. It is part of what makes this project so exciting! The large, seemingly impossible task of writing a novel in just four short weeks is what I have been looking for! Furthermore, the deadline is all the more tantalizing!
“A word after a word after a word is power.”
Margaret Atwood
Words on the Page
The important thing to remember about this project, despite the sheer size: its only a first draft! Additionally, the act of writing out a novel, in my case the first, will help inspire further writings! By thinking and investing so heavily into creative writing on this scale, the words on the pages of other unfinished works may finally find their endings. This project really is one that will both challenge and excite me. It is the project I have been looking for for so long!
You can find out more about NaNo and join the novel writing challenge here!
Read more of my creative writing Here! Here! Or Here!